Tenor
Bio
Stephen Preece,
K/W Record
October 2008 Mendelssohn's Lobgesang Review
Kitchener Waterloo Symphony & Grand Philharmonic
Choir
Toronto native James McLean began his solo career with
the Toronto Symphony, under the baton of Sir Andrew
Davis, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Canadian
Opera Company.
In Germany, he established himself as a lyric tenor,
specializing in the repertoire of Mozart. He has
performed the roles of Tamino,
Belmonte and
Ferrando, in Nürnberg with Christian
Thielemann, in Münich at the Gärtnerplatz Theater, and
in Düsseldorf at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.
In recent years his repertoire has expanded to include
such varied roles as; Lensky in
Eugene Onegin (Theater und Philharmonie
Essen), Alfredo in La
Traviata (Niedersächsische Staatstheater Hannover
and Städtische Bühne Heidelberg), Tom
Rakewell in The Rake's Progress
(Landestheater Coburg), Steva in
Jenufa (Opéra Toulon Provence Méditerranée and
Opèra Royal de Wallonie, Liège) and the
Prince in Rusalka (Städtische
Bühnen Münster). James recently premiered the role of
Alexander Herzog in Ganna by
Kraus-Hübner at Stadttheater Fürth.
Appearances on concert stages throughout Europe and
Israel include works ranging from Bach's
Evangelist roles to McCartney's Liverpool
Oratorio and include Haydn's Creation,
Mendelssohn's Elijah, Britten's War
Requiem, Rossini's Stabat Mater and
Petite Messe Solennelle as well as Dvorak's
Stabat Mater and Verdi’s Requiem.
In 2008, European engagements include Dead End
(Xaver Poncette) in Krefeld, Germany,
Evangelist in Bach's St. Matthew
Passion and Beethoven's 9th Symphony in
Kaliningrad, Russia, and Handel's Dettinger Te
Deum and Bach's Magnificat in Dislaken,
Germany.
James McLean, now based in Toronto, returned to Canada
for Mendelssohn's Symphony No.2 (Lobgesang)
with Kitchener-Waterloo's Grand Philharmonic Choir,
Evangelist (St. Matthew
Passion) with Guelph Chamber Choir, and in July
2009 was a featured soloist at Westben's "Night at the
Opera".
In 2009/10, Canadian audiences will hear James in
concerts with Chorus Niagara
(Evangelist, St. John
Passion) Rossini's Petite Messe
Solennelle (Orillia's Cellar Singers), Mozart's
Mass in C (London's Fanshawe Chorus), and in
September 2010 he will debut as Pang
in Puccini's Turandot with Ottawa's Opera
Lyra.
For more information, please visit
www.jamesmclean.de